We’ve got plenty of time. We don’t need to/needn’t hurry

Question

Do "don’t need to" and "needn’t" mean the same or not? This is a question from an English test:

We’ve got plenty of time. We ... hurry.

don’t need to

needn’t

What's the right answer?

Possible duplicate of "He needn't say" / "He doesn't need to say". Also Use of needn't in sentences, The various usages of needn't, and probably others. — FumbleFingers, Mar 01 '19 at 14:23
Answers you've mentioned seem to say that there's no difference. But I have a test and I have to chose only 1 correct answer. That is what confuses me. — embedc, Mar 04 '19 at 10:16

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 01 '19 at 14:00

don't need to = do not need to

needn't = need not

They effectively mean the same thing, so either one is correct. If in doubt, expand all the contractions.

We do not need to hurry

We need not hurry

the negation is just in front for the first, and behind for the second

1 Answers1